The Civil Law Tradition, 3rd Edition: An Introduction to the Legal Systems of Europe and Latin America | John Henry Merryman and Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo

Law / International and Comparative Law

Designed for the general reader and students of law, this is a concise history and analysis of the civil law tradition, which is dominant in most of Europe, all of Latin America, and many parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This new edition deals with recent significant events—such as the fall of the Soviet empire and the resulting precipitous decline of the socialist legal tradition—and their significance for the civil law tradition. The book also incorporates the findings of recent important literature on the legal cultures of civil law countries.

About the author

John Henry Merryman is Nelson Bowman Sweitzer and Marie B. Sweitzer Professor of Law, Emeritus at Stanford University. Rogelio Pérez-Perdomo is Dean of the Law School at the Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas

* * * PRAISE FOR THE PREVIOUS EDITION * * *

"This little book is not only readable-—a feat in itself-—but also insightful and provocative in its treatment of the folklore and practice of the civil law. . . . A lively introduction to civil law thinking with its historical, political, and social dimensions."

—The American Journal of Comparative Law

"The most readable and succinct account of the origins, the development, and the philosophy of the civil law. . . . Written for those unfamiliar with the study of comparative law and legal systems, the book distinguishes the civil law tradition from that of the common law tradition of the English speaking countries. . ."

—Houston Law Review

1969 Preface

2006 Preface

Table of Contents